tbh

tbh fosters positive peer interactions among high school students through its social media application. The platform allows users to anonymously answer multiple-choice polls, selecting friends who best fit predefined positive statements. This controlled anonymous feedback delivers compliments, boosting self-esteem and cultivating a supportive environment, contrasting anonymous negativity.

Founded by Nikita Bier, Erik Hazzard, Julian Mack, and Kyle Sarao, the company launched its product in 2017. Their core insight recognized the pervasive negativity in anonymous online spaces, subverting it by building a platform where anonymity exclusively empowered compliments and enhanced self-esteem. This created a positive social dynamic that quickly resonated with its target demographic.

It serves high school students, offering a digital space for encouragement. Its vision reimagines social media as a source of well-being, driven by peer validation. tbh aims to build communities founded on shared appreciation, fostering a healthier, affirming online experience.

High-Level Overview

tbh is a technology company providing an AI-based student support platform that connects college students to resources addressing basic needs like rent relief, food insecurity, transportation support, and mental health services. Acquired by Uwill—a college-focused digital mental health provider—in 2024, tbh's functionalities are being integrated into Uwill's platform to offer holistic student support without increasing staff burden, serving higher education institutions to enhance student success and well-being.[4]

The platform solves critical problems in student retention by streamlining access to federal, state, and local resources via AI-driven matching, complementing Uwill's therapist matching, crisis connection, and medication management tools. Full integration is targeted within 12 months of acquisition, positioning tbh as a key expansion in Uwill's ecosystem amid growing demand for comprehensive campus mental health and support solutions.[4]

Origin Story

tbh emerged as a startup focused on AI-powered resource navigation for students facing socioeconomic challenges, co-founded by Asaf Zilberfarb, who emphasized reimagining holistic support to help students thrive beyond survival. Specific founding details like exact year or early traction pre-acquisition are not detailed in available records, but its development aligned with rising needs in college mental health amid post-pandemic pressures.[4]

A pivotal moment came in 2024 when Uwill acquired tbh, following Uwill's purchases of Virtual Care Group and Christie Campus Health, signaling tbh's validation in the edtech space. This acquisition bolsters Uwill's offerings, with tbh's team transitioning to add value and drive client adoption of its basic needs solutions.[4]

Core Differentiators

• AI-Based Resource Matching: tbh uses AI to connect students to tailored federal, state, and local aid for rent, food, transportation, and mental health, expanding beyond traditional therapy to address root insecurities efficiently.[4]
• Seamless Integration: Designed for easy embedding into platforms like Uwill's without added staff workload, enabling scalable support across all market areas post-integration.[4]
• Holistic Student Focus: Complements clinical services with practical aid, fostering not just access but thriving, as highlighted by co-founder Asaf Zilberfarb.[4]
• Proven Expansion Fit: Part of Uwill's aggressive growth via acquisitions and partnerships (e.g., Headspace), with success measured by team retention, client adoption, and market leadership in student support.[4]

(Note: Other "tbh" entities exist, such as TBH Creative—a web design firm since 2004[1]—TBH TECH LTD—a UK wholesaler/ad agency incorporated 2019[2]—and a hiring feedback tool[5]—but context points to the acquired edtech platform.[3][4])

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

tbh rides the wave of edtech and digital mental health expansion, particularly in higher education where student mental health crises and basic needs gaps drive retention challenges. Its timing aligns with post-2020 surges in college support demands, amplified by AI advancements enabling precise resource matching amid staffing shortages.[4]

Market forces favoring tbh/Uwill include regulatory pushes for campus wellness, partnerships like Headspace, and consolidation trends—evident in Uwill's serial acquisitions. tbh influences the ecosystem by pioneering integrated "basic needs" solutions, setting a model for AI-enhanced, non-clinical support that reduces dropout risks and positions providers as comprehensive student success leaders.[4]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

tbh's full integration into Uwill by late 2025 will solidify its role in a unified platform, with success hinging on client uptake, team performance, and new business wins in the student support space. Emerging trends like AI personalization and holistic wellness bundles will shape its path, potentially expanding to K-12 or workforce programs as edtech consolidates further.[4]

As Uwill eyes "continued expansion" without immediate further buys, tbh could evolve influence from niche resource connector to ecosystem cornerstone, empowering institutions to deliver thriving—not just surviving—student outcomes in a resource-strapped era. This ties back to tbh's core: transforming vulnerability into opportunity through smart, scalable tech.